Apple has doubled down on the rule of three for its 2019 iPhone roster. There are three new iPhones for you to choose from this year: the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max. Both iPhone 11 Pros are Apple’s first handsets to feature triple lens cameras. Oh, and this is the third year running the Cupertino tech giant has stuck with the ‘notch’ design for its handsets.

The big first here? These iPhones will be the first to feature that ‘Pro’ moniker, representing a significant step change for these all-conquering handsets. Even if they do resemble a familiar prospect on face value.

We should know after all, as we’ve gotten our hands on the trio at its launch event in San Jose, California. So here’s the lowdown on what’s new, how the Pros compare to the standard iPhone 11, and when you’ll be able to get your hands on one.

Three is the magic number

If you’ve not used one already, a triple lens camera on a phone might seem a little excessive. However, those who have laid their hands on a Samsung Galaxy Note 10 or a Huawei P30 Pro will know the deal. A triple lens camera means much more versatility over the way you take photos with a 4x optical zoom range – and that’s a definitively good thing.

So what's in the triple lens camera? A 12mp wide-angle lens is your go-to for everyday point-and-shoot photos. A 12mp telephoto lens does the job for 2x zoom shots when you want to get close to your subject without shoving your phone in their face. Finally, that new ultra wide-angle 12mp lens is there to broaden the horizons of your shots.

This means you can do things like cram more family members into photos or truly capture a landscape’s epic scale on your travels. It promises to be a genuinely useful addition to both your photographic exploits and videos too, which can now be filmed at 4K resolution at 60 frames per second. Granted, you might not end up using the ultra wide-angle lens on a daily basis, but it's the kind of thing that helps do justice to special occasions. Be that a big night out or an adventure on the continent.

Night Mode is a game-changer

Traditionally the bane of any smartphone’s camera – whether you’re out underneath the stars or crammed inside a dingy bar – dimly lit scenarios deliver significantly less detail and even a bit of graininess in your photos. It's not a good look when you can spot speckling around the corners of your snaps.

The iPhone 11 and 11 Pro's new Night Mode is turned on by default and goes a long way to solving these issues with the help of a longer exposure and algorithmical trickery. Where once a shot would have turned out to be a grey and black blur, people, objects and landmarks should appear both dramatically brighter and sharper in snaps. At least if the sample shots Apple showed at the iPhone 11's launch event are anything to go off.

So whether you want to properly capture your newborn while they're asleep or a mate's inebriated squalor, Night Mode should deliver. In all honesty, this is a feature the iPhone has been crying out for in the last few years and should go some way to ensuring both the 11 and 11 Pro models can lay claim to having the best smartphone cameras.

More power, longer battery life

As ever a new slate of iPhones means a new Apple-made processor that features across the entire line up. This year it's the A13 Bionic chip, which claims to be both 20% faster than last year's chip and the fastest CPU and GPU ever in a smartphone. That's no great surprise when last year’s iPhones were already regarded as speed demons when flitting between WhatsApp and Instagram or handling more graphically demanding games.

Honestly, the more noteworthy upgrade here is the substantially improved battery life compared to previous models. The iPhone 11 Pro claims to give you four extra hours compared to last year's iPhone XS, while the Pro Max model offers five hours over the iPhone XS Max. That's a decent chunk of time for you to eke out of these devices, especially since they're set to come boxed with a new fast charger to top you up to a full battery quick-sharp. You'll get to half-charge within 30 minutes of plugging your phone in.

Introducing the Super Retina XDR display…

What a mouthful, right? With its Apple TV+ streaming service set to launch on 1 November, Apple isn't about to serve up a duffer of a screen to watch Steve Carell, Jennifer Aniston and co cavort around on in The Morning Show. Hence the new Super Retina XDR OLED displays you'll find on both iPhone 11 Pros. Owners of an iPhone 11 will have to settle for a more familiar 6.1 inch LCD screen.

So what makes the Pro's display ‘XDR’-worthy? It’s Apple’s most advanced screen yet on a phone with a 2 million:1 contrast ratio and up to 1,200 knits. In human speak, that means it’s much brighter than before and can deliver sharper whites and crisper blacks. So the likes of Mindhunter and Glow should look more impactful when you watch them in high dynamic range on Netflix.

Just as the iPhone 11 Pro Max offers a longer battery life compared to the iPhone 11 Pro, it also has a bigger screen. Investing in the Max bags you a 6.5 inch OLED display, whereas the 'standard' Pro has a 5.8 inch screen. As you'd expect the larger screen allows for a better viewing experience, but the Pro isn't a significant step down at all.

Some things stay the same

Really, Apple is staking its Pro claim on three foundations: the triple lens camera, its new A13 Bionic chip and that Super Retina XDR display. The actual design of these iPhones is pretty much unchanged from previous generations. That means the same svelte glass build you’re already familiar with. The iPhone Pros have a new, beguiling matte finish on their backside, whereas the iPhone 11 sticks with the familiar clear glass finish of old.

With these new iPhones, Apple is sticking to an ‘if it ain’t broke, don't fix it’ mantra for some of the fundamentals that have served it so well in the past. So if you’re in search of a smaller notch or an in-screen fingerprint scanner to add to Face ID, then you’ll have to hold out hope until next year. That also means 5G support isn’t included in these handsets, which is no great surprise given its fragmented launch in the UK.

iPhone 11 Pro initial verdict

So that’s the shape of the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max, and on first impressions this seems like Apple’s best slate of new devices in a good while. New features such as Night Mode and the ultra wide-angle camera lenses are worthy upgrades on what came before. There’s no confusing naming scheme to be dealing with when choosing between iPhones. And there’s nothing obvious ‘missing’ that feels like it’s been held back a year to sell the inevitable iPhone 12.

Pricing in the UK is a bit of a mixed bag, but it's not all bad news. The iPhone 11 is available from £729, which is actually a little less than last year's iPhone XR. Elsewhere, the iPhone 11 Pro starts from £1,049 and the Pro Max raises things further to £1,149. That's something new you can thank Brexit and the pound's current fluctuations for.

The iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max are available from 20 September. Stay tuned for our verdict on whether they live up to the considerable hype.